# Paraview for geospatial data

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [August 26, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189 "2020-08-26T16:17:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![eroots](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@eroots](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/eroots)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189/1 "2020-08-26T16:17:59Z")

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I noticed in the ParaView release notes that there is now support for geospatial formats through GDAL and PDAL ([https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView\_Release\_Notes#GDAL\_and\_PDAL\_Readers](https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView_Release_Notes#GDAL_and_PDAL_Readers))

Does anyone know if this is supported through the regular installation of pre-built ParaView, or do we have to build our own with GDAL (as well as all the other dependencies) installed?

If the former, are there instructions somewhere on how to, for example, import a GeoTiff?  
If the latter, are there any plans to include these readers directly in a future release of ParaView?

Thanks,  
Eric

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### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189/2 "2020-08-27T07:36:15Z")

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> Does anyone know if this is supported through the regular installation of pre-built ParaView

Not yet.

> or do we have to build our own with GDAL (as well as all the other dependencies) installed?

Indeed.

> If the latter, are there any plans to include these readers directly in a future release of ParaView?

ParaView 5.9 will include GDAL in the binaries. You can test it using the nightlies already.  
it isn’t planned to integrate PDAL afaik.

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### Author: ![eroots](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@eroots](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/eroots)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189/3 "2020-08-27T13:05:09Z")

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Perfect, thanks for your response.  
I look forward to 5.9, but in the meantime I’ll give the nightlies a shot.

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### Author: ![danlipsa](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/danlipsa/32/1563_2.png) [@danlipsa](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/danlipsa)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-for-geospatial-data/5189/4 "2020-08-27T14:32:47Z")

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> I noticed in the ParaView release notes that there is now support for geospatial formats through GDAL and PDAL ([https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView\_Release\_Notes#GDAL\_and\_PDAL\_Readers](https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView_Release_Notes#GDAL_and_PDAL_Readers))
> 
> Does anyone know if this is supported through the regular installation of pre-built ParaView, or do we have to build our own with GDAL (as well as all the other dependencies) installed?

GDAL is supported in the binary build, PDAL is not yet as far as I know.

> If the former, are there instructions somewhere on how to, for example, import a GeoTiff?

You just read a tiff the regular way. You’ll be given a choice to open that as a tiff or as a geotiff raster image.

> If the latter, are there any plans to include these readers directly in a future release of ParaView?

Yes, we do want to add PDAL to the binary as well, we’ll need to identify funding for that though.